石油大王(全英文).doc

John?Davison?Rockefeller?(July?8, 1839 –?May?23, 1937)?was?an?American?oil?magnate.?Rockefellerrevolutionized?the?petroleum?industry?and?defined?the?structure?of?modern?philanthropy.?In?1870,he?founded?the?Standard?Oil?Company?and?aggressively?ran?it?until?he?officially?retired?in?1897.Standard?Oil?began?as?an?Ohio?partnership?formed?by?John?D.?Rockefeller,?his?brother?WilliamRockefeller,?Henry?Flagler,?Jabez?Bostwick,?chemist?Samuel?Andrews,?and?a?silent?partner,?StephenV.?Harkness.?As?kerosene?and?gasoline?grew?in?importance,?Rockefellers?wealth?soared,?and?hebecame?the?worlds?richest?man?and?first?American?worth?more?than?a?billion?dollars.?He?is?oftenregarded?as?the?richest?person?in?history. Rockefeller?spent?the?last?40?years?of?his?life?in?retirement.?His?fortune?was?mainly?used?to?createthe?modern?systematic?approach?of?targeted?philanthropy?with?foundations?that?had?a?majoreffect?on?medicine,?education,?and?scientific?research.His?foundations?pioneered?the?developmentof?medical?research,?and?were?instrumental?in?the?eradication?of?hookworm?and?yellow?fever.?He?isalso?the?founder?of?both?the?University?of?Chicago?and?Rockefeller?University.?He?was?a?devotedNorthern?Baptist?and?supported?many?church-based?institutions?throughout?his?life.?Rockefelleradhered?to?total?abstinence?from?alcohol?and?tobacco?throughout?his?life.He?had?four?daughtersand?one?son;?John?D.?Rockefeller,?Jr. Junior?was?largely?entrusted?with?the?supervision?of?thefoundations.By?the?end?of?the?American?Civil?War,?Cleveland?was?one?of?the?five?main?refining?centers?in?theU.S. (besides?Pittsburgh,?Philadelphia,?New?York,?and?the?region?in?northwestern?Pennsylvaniawhere?most?of?the?oil?originated).?In?June?1870,?Rockefeller?formed?Standard?Oil?of?Ohio,?whichrapidly?became?the?most?profitable?refiner?in?Ohio.?Standard?Oil?grew?to?become?one?of?the?largestshippers?of?oil?and?kerosene?in?the?country.?The?railroads?were?fighting?fiercely?for?traffic?and,?in?anattempt?to?create?a?cartel?to?contr